“Look!” said Doris, leaning eagerly forward. “He’s coming, the man of iron.”
It was true. The giant towered before them.
“Pluto really did him very little harm,” said Curlie. “His machete severed two wires, that’s all. There’s a lot to him. Part is telephone switchboard equipment. Radio, of course, enters in and all sorts of wheels. But all and all he’s rather complete.
“See, I blow again into the receiver. This whistle is of a lower pitch. Now he begins to blink his eyes. And now,” again a whistle, “he waves his arms.
“He bows, he cracks his teeth, he strikes out. In fact,” he said finally, “there is nothing he cannot do, providing one works out the mechanical appliances for making him do it.
“It’s too bad,” he said with a note of regret, “that I couldn’t supply him with a set of brains.”
When Mike had furnished his share of the evening’s entertainment and had frightened the black servants out of a year’s growth in the bargain, he was marched back to his place in a dark corner and it was time to talk of other things.
“To-morrow the ‘Rope of Gold’ sails for America,” said Johnny.
“Yes,” said the Professor. “I was able to get in touch with the Torentia. She will touch at Cape Haitian. That saves you a tiresome journey to Port au Prince and insures the ‘Rope of Gold’ a safe passage to America.
“And to-morrow,” he added, a note of great gladness creeping into his tone, “we begin the task of building up the waste places. In due time the old French aqueduct will be the new American one and thousands will benefit by the pluck and daring of two American boys.”